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Medical billing clerks represent the starting point to a career in health care billing. This stepping stone can lead to a medical coder career, management position, or an accounting placement. Medical billing personnel typically have little patient contact except via phone and mail. Individuals with criminal histories, who are finding it difficult to enter other areas of health care, may seek out medical billing because of the meager entry requirements and opportunity for growth. Being upfront about a conviction can help since some employers may be willing to assist with giving a second chance.

Medical Billing Careers

When a patient receives a medical service, it is coded with a number that is billable to an insurance company or other payer. The coding is done by a medical coder or, in smaller practices, the billing clerk. The billing clerk then submits a claim to the insurance company, or other provider on the patient’s behalf. Co-payments or non-covered services are billed to the patient. The billing clerk handles all of this under the guidance of the billing manager.

Ease of Entry

The requirements to become a medical billing clerk are not extensive. In most cases, only a high school diploma is needed. Some trade schools offer training programs for medical coding and billing, but it is fairly easy to obtain a job without the additional training, since most offices provide on-the-job training. Applicants with a criminal history may encounter some difficulty because patient privacy laws present the need for medical offices to perform background checks. It is up to the hiring manager to make the ultimate hiring decision. An ex-felon may have better luck at smaller private medical offices instead of large clinics and hospitals that have wide sweeping bans on anyone with a criminal history.

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About the Author

Adele Burney started her writing career in 2009 when she was a featured writer in "Membership Matters," the magazine for Junior League. She is a finance manager who brings more than 10 years of accounting and finance experience to her online articles. Burney has a degree in organizational communications and a Master of Business Administration from Rollins College.

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Burney, Adele. "Can a Felon Get a Job as a Medical Billing Clerk?" Work - Chron.com, http://work.chron.com/can-felon-job-medical-billing-clerk-24245.html. Accessed 19 December 2018.

Burney, Adele. (n.d.). Can a Felon Get a Job as a Medical Billing Clerk? Work - Chron.com. Retrieved from http://work.chron.com/can-felon-job-medical-billing-clerk-24245.html

Burney, Adele. "Can a Felon Get a Job as a Medical Billing Clerk?" accessed December 19, 2018. http://work.chron.com/can-felon-job-medical-billing-clerk-24245.html

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